Medical imaging is variable not only in terms of imaging modalities but also in the makes and models within a given modality and the varying technical parameters, according to presenter Aiping Ding, PhD. Even in cases in which imaging adaptations are more personalized for patients, human equipment operators inevitably may inject an element of variability, he noted.
"The overall outcome of all this is that the quality of care can become highly variable and far from the original goal of patient-centered, technology-agnostic care," Ding told AuntMinnie.com.
However, the ongoing shift to value-based medicine brings a renewed focus on evidence-based practice and additional scrutiny on the safety, performance, consistency, stewardship, efficiency, and ethics of clinical care. In the context of medical imaging, this calls for a system to monitor all aspects of quality and safety in imaging practice, including the quality of the equipment, the precision of the applied procedure, the usage of the equipment, the radiation dose to the patient, and the resulting image quality, he said.
"Our overarching vision for this undertaking is precisely to offer such a system using the latest metrological methods and foundational understanding of imaging and its role in medicine," Ding said. "This particular project focuses specifically on radiation dose and image quality as a crucial part of this mandate."
Their system, called Metrology for Imaging Systems (METIS), features a web-based dashboard that consolidates clinical and operational imaging data into a holistic view of performance, according to the researchers.
How does METIS perform? Stop by this presentation to find out.
